Does Liverpool deliver the next offensive spectacle?

Last weekend couldn’t have gone any better for the Liverpool Reds. Head coach Jürgen Klopp’s side not only celebrated their third successive competitive win, but also set a historic milestone at arch-rivals Manchester United. After all, Liverpool delivered a shooting match at Old Trafford and celebrated a resounding victory (5:0) at their league rivals.

A few days after the impressive away victory in the English top flight, Jürgen Klopp & Co. will continue in the League Cup. There they now face a comparatively easy task. The Reds are at home to second-division side Preston. Although LFC can be expected to rotate, the betting companies with a German licence see the guests from Liverpool as clear favourites.

Last year Liverpool were eliminated in the last 16 of the EFL Cup by the Gunners from London. Although a feasible hurdle awaits in the fourth round of the League Cup this season, it cannot be ruled out that Liverpool will be eliminated from the competition again. Indeed, Klopp is no fan of the EFL Cup and is expected to forgo any use of regular players.

Preston North End will be looking to seize the moment and progress to the quarter-finals. The Lilywhites have never qualified for the last eight of the League Cup – will it be the same?

Preston – Statistics & current form

Preston have been playing in the Championship since the 2015/16 season. Although the Lilywhites have already established themselves as a second division club, PNE have largely stayed out of the promotion race. After all, they have only finished in single figures twice in the last six years.

Last season Preston finished 13th in the Championship. Throughout the season, Preston North End were not in danger of relegation, nor did they have a realistic chance of promotion to the top flight. As expected, the Lilywhites have had a disappointing start to the season.

After 14 match days, Preston are 19th in the table. So far, PNE has already lost five games this season. This includes the most recent match against Blackpool FC, where the Lilywhites conceded an away defeat for the second time in a row. At home, on the other hand, Preston are unbeaten for seven home games in a row across the competition.

Will the series be extended at Deepdale?

Last time there was a defeat was in the season opener against Hull City. Since then, Preston North End have won four and drawn three at the Deepdale. Apart from the draw against Derby County, the Lilywhites have scored at least one goal in every home game this season. It is quite possible that PNE will also meet a second guard from LFC in the cup match.

Head coach Frankie McAvoy is expected to field his best line-up for the prestigious cup tie against the Reds. Due to injury, the 47-year-old Scot will be missing a total of five players on Wednesday night. Compared to the starting eleven that was in action at Blackpool last week, no major changes are expected.

Risk-averse bettors who would like to venture a prediction on the home side in Preston vs. Liverpool can pick up quotes above the 8.00 mark in the event of success. The free bet offers of the betting providers can also be used for this purpose.

Predicted Preston line-up:
Rudd; Storey, Bauer, Hughes; Rafferty, Whiteman, Ledson, Earl; Johnson; Jakobsen, Sinclair

Last matches played by Preston:

Championship
10/23 2021 – Blackpool 2 – 0 Preston

10/20 2021 – Preston 2 – 1 Coventry

10/16 2021 – Preston 0 – 0 Derby

10/02 2021 – Queens Park Rangers 3 – 2 Preston

09/28 2021 – Preston 1 – 1 Stoke

Liverpool – Statistics & current form

Liverpool, meanwhile, are riding a wave of euphoria. In the Premier League, the Reds are hot on the heels of the leaders from London, while in the top flight, Liverpool are at the top of the table with nine points after three matchdays. LFC have recently celebrated three wins in a row across all competitions, scoring a total of 13 goals.

Five of the 13 goals came in the show of strength against Manchester United. Liverpool inflicted the biggest home defeat in the club’s history on their arch-rivals and remained unbeaten in their ninth Premier League game of the season. This week, the team will continue in the – according to Jürgen Klopp’s former assessment – unimportant League Cup.

Klopp will probably not use any players from the first team. Instead, it will be a mixture of reserves and youngsters. After all, in the previous round against their league rivals Norwich, only players from the second team were used for the most part.

LFC’s B eleven still strong enough for Preston?

Because the Reds still have enough quality across the board, being favourites on Wednesday night is no surprise at all. After all, even a Liverpool FC B eleven still has enough potential to overcome the hurdle at the Lilywhites from Preston. The last time LFC met Wednesday’s opponents, it was in the 2008/09 FA Cup, when the Reds secured a comfortable away win.

Jürgen Klopp will have to do without a total of six players on Wednesday evening due to injury. Players such as Tavares and Kelleher are still questionable, but are unlikely to play in the League Cup. If LFC’s second string come out on top against the Championship club, odds of 1.35 will be paid on Preston vs Liverpool.

Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Adrian; N Williams, Gomez, Matip, Tsimikas; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Henderson, Jones; Minamino, Origi, Jota

Last matches played by Liverpool:

Premier League
10/24 2021 – Manchester United 0 – 5 Liverpool FC

Champions League Grp. B
10/19 2021 – Atletico Madrid2 – 3 Liverpool FC

Premier League
10/16 2021 – Watford 0 – 5 Liverpool FC

10/03 2021 – Liverpool FC 2 – 2 Manchester City

Champions League Grp. B
09/28 2021 – FC Porto 1 – 5 FC Liverpool

Preston – Liverpool Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

These two clubs have met 69 times so far. Liverpool lead the direct comparison against the Lilywhites from Preston with a record of 28-19-22. However, there has only been one meeting between the two clubs this century. In the 2009 FA Cup, Liverpool beat PNE in the third round of the cup.

Preston – Liverpool Tip

Because Liverpool will not be at their best for the cup tie against Preston North End, the Reds’ recent run of form has no particular significance ahead of Wednesday’s game. For the Reds, the League Cup has no special significance anyway. In the previous round, the second team was used against league rivals Norwich City.

Preston North End therefore have a realistic chance of challenging the Premier League runners-up. This is backed up, among other things, by their recent home record at Deepdale. The Lilywhites have not lost any of their last seven home games at their own stadium. That’s why we’re not ruling out even a surprise on Wednesday night.

Preston go into the cup match with a broad chest. Especially before the change of ends, we expect the Lilywhites to score at least one goal and thus surprise the second guard of LFC. With a bet of three units we place our bet on Preston vs Liverpool at attractive odds on the home side to win the first half